Single Father
by Mudblood
Summary: Draco is faced with the reality of becoming a single father. Slash (H/D implied) Mpreg
1. One

This is my first HP fic, and my first ever mpreg, so feedback  
  
would be GREATLY appriciated!  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own any of the characters except of course  
  
(eventually) the baby. Everyone else is owned by JKR  
  
Draco Malfoy sat on his bed, staring at the picture he held in his hand, a picture of Harry . . .his Harry. It had been taken only three months before, but it seemed as if it was a lifetime ago. The picture showed a happy, smiling Harry, sitting under a tree in their yard. Draco had taken the picture with out his knowledge, and was now thankful that he had. It was the last picture he ever got of Harry, taken only the day before the accident.  
  
Draco felt his chest tighten, and he had to bite back a bitter laugh when he thought of the accident. Who would have thought it? The famous Harry Potter, the boy who had taken on Voldemort more times than anyone could remember . . .and lived to tell the tale . . . .had died doing something he loved more than anything else, flying.  
  
The day it happened hadn't seemed any different, or out of the ordinary. It was one of the first nice days of spring, and the two of them had decided to get out their brooms. They had been flying for about an hour, goofing off and chasing each other in an impromptu game of tag, when it had happened. Draco still wasn't entirely sure what HAD happened. One minute Harry had been flying along fine, trying to stay ahead of Draco, and the next he had been falling, all of it happening so fast that Draco didn't have time to react. Harry had been probably one hundred feet in the air, and when he hit the ground, he hit at an angle that no human body should be landing at. By the time Draco had touched down to the ground and ran to him, he was gone.  
  
After it happened, Draco thought he was going to die himself. He withdrew into himself, and refused to leave his room, or even get out of bed. No matter who came to see him, no matter how much they begged and pleaded with him, trying to tell him that Harry wouldn't want him doing this to himself, he wouldn't listen. He was much more content to lie there, clutching Harry's pillow to his body and pretending that it was him. Eventually he had fallen so far into the depths of depression that he even stopped eating and sleeping.  
  
But then . . .then . . . .  
  
At first he attributed the way he was feeling to the depression. After all, with not eating and sleeping, it was natural to feel run down, and sick to his stomach, right? It wasn't until one night, in the middle of the night, that it began to dawn on him. Harry and he had wanted to have a child, so they had been enlisting the help of several spells and potions to help one of them become pregnant. But . . .it couldn't be . . .could it?  
  
Finally he had broke down and drug himself out of bed long enough to go see a medi-witch. It had taken all of ten minutes to confirm what he had already been suspecting. He was, indeed, pregnant.  
  
He couldn't believe it, after the hell he had been put through, he was going to have a baby . . . Harry's baby. He might never have Harry back, but he would always have a part of him around.  
  
And then that damned medi-witch had offered to abort the baby for him. Needless to say, he wouldn't be going back to HER for anymore of his pre- natal care.  
  
So now here he was, four months pregnant, and scared to death. How was he ever going to survive being a single father? 


	2. Two

This is my first HP fic, and my first ever mpreg, so feedback  
  
would be GREATLY appriciated!  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own any of the characters except of course  
  
(eventually) the baby. Everyone else is owned by JKR  
  
Draco sat in the middle of what was going to be his baby's nursery, absentmindedly flipping through a catalogue of baby items. He knew it was silly, wanting to start on a room for the baby already, but he wanted to get it done as soon as possible, wanted everything to be perfect by the time the baby arrived. But . . .at the same time, he didn't want to do any of it, not by himself. Harry was supposed to be here with him, helping him pick out a theme for the nursery, and then get it ready.  
  
At the thought of Harry, Draco broke down in a fit of tears. This should be such a happy event for him, but instead he found himself dreading the birth of his child, and that made him feel more guilty than he knew possible. As his emotions conflicted with in him, and over took him, he curled in on himself, pulling his knees tight against his chest.  
  
"Draco, are you okay?"  
  
He jumped and looked up at the sound of a voice, and saw Ron and Hermione Weasley standing in the nursery doorway. Harry had spent most of their relationship trying to get the three of them to work out their differences, but to no avail. Ironically enough, Harry's death, had brought them all closer together. Then, after revealing his pregnancy to them, Hermione had insisted on being there for him every step of the way, reassuring him that he would never have to go through any of it alone.  
  
"Draco?"  
  
He nodded his head, then slowly shook it, and buried his head against his knees again. Only seconds later he felt Hermione's small arms around him, and he finally let go into full fledged sobbing.  
  
"I want him back, Hermione. It's not fair, he's supposed to be here, he's supposed to help me with this."  
  
"Sh, I know baby, I know. We all miss him." She soothed, as she rocked him back and forth like a small child.  
  
"I can't do this, I can't do it without him. I'm not even supposed to be the one, he was."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"When we first started talking about having a child, he was the one that wanted to carry it. He said that he wanted to know what it was like to carry a life inside of him. Then, when we started doing the research and finding out how to make it possible for a male wizard to become pregnant, we decided that we were both going to try, to increase the odds of it happening. We always knew, though, that it should be him, and we tried harder for it to be. We even thought that he was, right before . . .before . . . ."  
  
"Sh, honey, you don't have to say anymore." Hermione whispered. "Just think, if he had insisted that he be the one, you wouldn't be having his baby. That little one is going to be your miracle baby, Draco. "  
  
"I know, but . . . I need him here, Hermione, I need him with me."  
  
"He is here with you, Draco. He's right here," She told him, as she placed a hand over his heart, and then allowed it to slip down until it was laying on his abdomen. "And right here. As long as he's in your heart, and as long as you have this baby, you'll never truly be with out him."  
  
"I know, I know, but it doesn't make it any easier."  
  
"I know it doesn't, and nothing ever will, but it's a start."  
  
"I guess so. Thanks Hermione. What are you doing here anyway?"  
  
"We brought some things for the baby," She explained as she stood up, and then helped Draco to his feet.  
  
"Y . . . you did?"  
  
"Yep. I was out shopping, and couldn't resist. I got a bassinet, a changing table, a baby swing, and an assortment of clothing."  
  
"That's an awful lot, Hermione. You didn't have to . . . ."  
  
"I know I didn't, but I wanted to. Ron, can you start bringing the furniture up, please?"  
  
"Me? Why me?" Ron whined, speaking for the first time since the pair had shown up.  
  
"Because Draco can't, he's pregnant." Hermione explained slowly, as if talking to a child.  
  
"What about you?"  
  
"I'm going to make lunch for Draco."  
  
"Fine, fine," Ron grumbled as he turned to walk out of the room. "You better be thankful I've taken pity on you Malfoy."  
  
"Yeah, love you too, Weasley," Draco called after him before turning to Hermione. "You two are too much. Why are you so good to me?"  
  
"Because, my best friend loved you, and because you are carrying his baby. Now come on, you need to eat."  
  
Draco watched her walk out of the room, and smiled to himself. He knew he wouldn't be getting through this if not for the support of his husband's best friends. He only wished that he hadn't had to lose Harry in order to gain them. 


	3. Three

This is my first HP fic, and my first ever mpreg, so feedback  
  
would be GREATLY appreciated!  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own any of the characters except of course  
  
(eventually) the baby. Everyone else is owned by JKR  
  
"Good afternoon, Mr. Malfoy. How are you feeling today?"  
  
"Good afternoon, Madame Kierstein," Draco greeted his medi-witch as she walked in to greet him. "I'm feeling much better; the morning sickness has finally stopped. Except, now I'm getting tired a lot. I sleep most of the afternoon. "  
  
"Yes, well, that's to be expected. You're body is going through a lot right now, it needs its rest to keep up its energy." She explained to him as she helped him to lie down. "Now, you just relax while I do your exam, okay?"  
  
Draco nodded and watched her intently as she muttered a few words and waved her wand over his stomach. Seconds later a strange swooshing noise filled the room.  
  
"Wh-what's that?" He stuttered, afraid that it was a sign that something was wrong with his baby.  
  
"That's your baby's heart, Mr. Malfoy.' Madame Kierstein smiled up at him.  
  
"Is it SUPPOSED to sound like that? It's . . . so fast! Is the baby okay?"  
  
"The baby is fine, a fetal heart rate is anywhere from 120 and 170 beats per minute. From the sounds of things, this little one is right in the normal range."  
  
"Okay, good. I want it to be healthy."  
  
"I don't think you have to worry about that, sweetie," The medi-witch reassured him as she broke the spell, causing the sound of the baby's heartbeat to stop. Next, she was pushing his shirt up on him, and prodding his stomach gently. "There's no kind of pain or tenderness anywhere, is there Mr. Malfoy?"  
  
"No, ma'am."  
  
"Okay, good. Everything seems to be developing nicely. Did you want to know the sex of your baby yet, or did you want to wait until it's born?"  
  
"I can find out already?" Draco asked in astonishment. He thought he would have to wait until the baby arrived to know whether or not it was male or female.  
  
"Certainly. We could have known from the time it was conceived, I just usually wait until my patients are in their second trimester before finding out. It requires doing a spell, and I try to do as little magic as possible on my mommies to be until after their third month. Overexposure to medical magic before that can have adverse effects on the baby."  
  
"But . . . it's safe to do now?" He asked, worriedly. If there was even the slightest possibility that he could harm his child, then he wasn't going to take the risk.  
  
"Of course, I wouldn't have suggested it otherwise," The older woman reassured him gently.  
  
"Then . . . I think I'd like to find out."  
  
Madame Kierstein smiled and waved her wand over his stomach once again. Draco's eyes widened as a ribbon of smoke trailed through the air above his body. The smoke circled his stomach several times before changing from a normal grayish color, to a pale pink. Madame Kierstein smiled as she looked up at him.  
  
"Well, Mr. Malfoy, I hope you wanted a daughter."  
  
"Daughter? A girl? I'm having a little girl?"  
  
"Yes, sir, you certainly are."  
  
Draco's eyes filled with tears. He was having a girl, his daughter, HARRY'S daughter. Who would she look like? Whose personality would she have? Suddenly, it was as if a light switch clicked on. There was actually a baby inside of him, a beautiful, precious, baby girl.  
  
"Makes it all a little more real, doesn't it?" The medi-witch asked him as she helped him to set up.  
  
"Yeah, a little." Draco admitted quietly.  
  
"Now, before you go, is there anything else? Any questions or concerns?"  
  
"Yes, actually. I've noticed that my stomach is still fairly small. I'm already in my fifth month, and I'm barely showing. To look at me you'd think I was only two or three months along. Is that normal?"  
  
"Typically, no. But you are a special case. To begin with, children born to magical parents tend to be a bit smaller than Muggle children; they are usually about five and one half to six and one half pounds at birth. Then, on top of that, you are a male carrying a child. Your body is not equipped or designed for pregnancy. A baby born to a wizard, as a result of him carrying the child, tends to be anywhere between four and five pounds."  
  
"Four to five pounds? That's awfully small, isn't it? Will she be okay?"  
  
"Your daughter will be quite healthy, Mr. Malfoy, as long as she is a full term baby. She will have developed just the same as any other baby, only she will be quite a bit smaller."  
  
"O-okay. Just so long as she's okay."  
  
"Not to worry, sir. I've delivered babies to many wizards beside yourself, and all of their children were just fine. Oh, and one more thing before you go . . . " She waved her wand in the air, and a piece of paper materialized in her free hand. She handed Draco what looked to him like a blurry photograph. "It's the equivalent of what Muggles call and ultrasound. The only difference is that it's colored, and you can see the baby move."  
  
"Th-this is . . .m-my baby?"  
  
"That it is, Mr. Malfoy, and by the looks of things, she's an active one."  
  
"You have no idea," Draco laughed as he thought of all the times he could feel the baby doing somersaults inside him, and of all the times she had used his internal organs for something to kick at.  
  
"You go on and get some rest now, Mr. Malfoy, and make sure to speak with my apprentice about an appointment. I want to see you back here in a month. Next time you're here we're going to talk about how your daughter is to be born, and we may also talk about your appointments becoming home visits, depending on how things are progressing."  
  
Draco nodded at her words, but barely heard a thing she said, he was too busy staring at the picture of his daughter. The only thing he had on his mind at the moment was getting out of there as quickly as he could, and showing off the picture to anyone who would stand still long enough for him to show them. 


	4. Four

This is my first HP fic, and my first ever mpreg, so feedback  
  
would be GREATLY appreciated!  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own any of the characters except of course  
  
(eventually) the baby. Everyone else is owned by JKR  
  
"Surprise!"  
  
Draco jumped back in surprise when he walked into his apartment and there were several people already there. Sitting in his living room were Hermione, Ron, most of Ron's family, Harry's godfather, and his own godfather; Professor Snape.  
  
"Wh-what's going on?"  
  
"It's your baby shower, silly," Hermione explained as she led him into the room. Looking around, Draco had to admit that his question had been a rather dumb one. If he had taken two seconds to notice the pink decorations everywhere, it would have been pretty obvious what they were up to.  
  
"A baby shower? For me? But why?"  
  
"Because you're having a baby! Honestly Draco, you are SUCH an airhead sometimes." Hermione rolled her eyes as she explained the concept to him like he was a four year old. "Now stop asking questions and enjoy it. Mingle with your guests."  
  
Draco found himself being shoved into the mass of people that were crowded in his very small living room. Within moments he had be grabbed in a tight bear hug, and looked up to see himself being squeezed by none other than Sirius Black.  
  
"Black . . . too . . . tight. . .hurting me," Draco managed to gasp out. The older man looked at him confused for a moment before releasing his grip.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry Draco. Didn't mean to grab on to you so tightly."  
  
"It's okay Sirius, I don't think there was any permanent damage done. I'm a little surprised to see you here, though. I haven't seen you in . . . months."  
  
Sirius glanced down at his feet for a moment, trying to think of something to say. When his godson had first come to him and confessed his relationship with Draco, Sirius had been infuriated. For Harry to have been gay was one thing, to bring home Draco Malfoy was something entirely different. They had screamed and yelled at each other, even gone for a month with out speaking to one another. Then, Draco had come to see Sirius, begging him to talk to Harry, told him how much the fight was killing Harry. From that day on, Sirius had made an attempt to be civil to Draco, for Harry's sake. Eventually he had found that the younger man was growing on him, and he considered Draco to be like another son. But after Harry's death, Sirius had stopped coming around. It wasn't that he loved Draco any less, it was just that everything reminded him too much of his godson, and he just couldn't handle it.  
  
Finally he looked back up at Draco, eyes pleading forgiveness.  
  
"I know I haven't been around, and I'm sorry. It was just so hard coming back here, after Harry died. I know that's no excuse, and you have every right to be mad at me. You're in a difficult position right now, and you needed support from friends and family, including me. I could kick myself for not being here. I feel like I've let you down, and the baby down. . .the way I let Harry down when he was little. I-"  
  
"Sirius, stop. It's okay, I don't hold it against you," Draco stopped the older man, mid-rant. "I'll admit, it would have been nice to have someone else around to grieve with, but I can understand your reasoning. We'll just start over, okay?"  
  
"Okay. I promise, I'll be here for this little one, the way I couldn't be there for her daddy."  
  
"I know you will," Draco smiled as he gave Sirius a small hug and turned away from him, only to find himself bound in another set of arms. Ones belonging to Molly Weasley.  
  
"Draco, darling, how have you been?"  
  
"I'm okay Aunt Molly. I'm still getting tired a lot, but it's starting to go away."  
  
"How much longer do you have to go, dear?"  
  
"I'll be seven months along in a few weeks."  
  
"That's so wonderful, I'm sure you're ready for her to come out."  
  
"Oh, yes. This pregnancy thing is getting really old, really quickly."  
  
"Yes . . .yes it does. But it will be over before you know it. And before you have her, I want you to come by the house. I still have some of Ginny's baby things up in the attic. I just KNOW you can use some of it. Heaven knows we won't need any of it anytime soon. I don't know WHY my kids won't give me grandchildren yet!"  
  
"I'll try and come by sometime this week. I promise. I think I'm going to just go and see some of my other guests," Draco excused himself. He loved Molly Weasley, but the woman never shut up. If he stayed there talking to her, he'd never get away. Draco turned to walk across the room and found him face to face with his godfather. "Uncle Severus."  
  
"Draco. I suppose . . .congratulations are in order."  
  
"Only if you really mean it," Draco responded as he rubbed his hand protectively over his swollen stomach.  
  
"I do. I won't deny that I think you are foolish to raise a child by yourself, but if this is what you want . . ."  
  
"It is, Uncle Severus. She's not even here yet, and already I can't imagine my life without her."  
  
"Very well . . . and do your parents know yet?"  
  
"No, and they won't either," Draco warned his godfather. There was no way his parents would ever know about the child.  
  
"I think they deserve the right to know they are going to be grandparents."  
  
"They AREN'T going to be grandparents, so I see no need in informing them."  
  
"Draco, whether you like it or not, they are this child's grandmother and grandfather."  
  
"No, they are not. The only grandparents my daughter has are James and Lilly Potter, and they are both dead." Draco snapped violently. "My father disowned me a long time ago. He couldn't stand the thought that his son was a homosexual, it brought shame and embarrassment to the family. THEN, as if that wasn't bad enough, when he found out who I was in a relationship with, he threatened the life of both me and Harry. No . . .I won't put my daughter through that."  
  
"Draco, listen," Severus pleaded with him. "He has changed, he's not like that anymore. After the death of Voldemort . . ."  
  
"He should have been thrown in Azkaban, with the rest of them. But no, he used his money and bought his way out. Sounds like the same man I used to call father." Draco hissed out as he turned away, not wanting to get too upset and cause harm to the baby. He walked across the room to where a pile of brightly wrapped gifts lay in a pile on the dining room table. "Hermione, are these all for me?"  
  
"Yes. Well, for the baby but . . .you know what I mean!"  
  
"Can I open them? Please?" Draco begged, with a child like expression on his face.  
  
"Well, I SUPPOSE so. They were supposed to wait until later, but this is YOUR party, so I guess it's up to you."  
  
"Well then, I'm opening them now!" Draco insisted as he reached for one of the packages. Half way there, his hand stopped and flew to his stomach as his eyes widened in surprise. "Oh . . .wow!"  
  
"Draco? What is it, what's wrong?"  
  
"Nothing's wrong. It's just that . . .she's kicking, really hard. It's never been this hard, you can feel it clear through."  
  
Suddenly Draco had several different hands pressing into his stomach, all fighting to feel the baby kick. With all of the shouts and expressions of exclamation, you'd think that none of them had ever felt a baby move before, and considering the number of Weasleys surrounding him, Draco found that highly difficult to believe.  
  
When the novelty of the baby kicking finally wore off, Draco settled down into a chair to begin opening the gifts. The number of presents highly out numbered the amount of people present, and it took him the better part of two hours to get through them all. When he was done, there was an impressive pile of baby items in the middle of the living room. Everything from a stroller and a crib (from Hermione and Ron) to a handmade baby blanket (from Ginny Weasley). Sometimes it astonished Draco just how much these people really cared about him.  
  
After the shower was over and everybody left, Draco cleaned the apartment up a bit before wearily dragging himself up to bed. When he reached his room he took a picture of Harry from the bedside stand and gazed at it, running a finger lovingly over the image of Harry's face. When the baby kicked again, Draco smiled sadly and laid his hand on his stomach, wondering how Harry would have reacted to the feel of the baby moving, had he been there.  
  
Finally, Draco sat the picture back where it had been and laid on the bed, looking at it for a few minutes before turning out the lamp and whispering softly into the night.  
  
"I wish you were here, Harry." 


	5. Five

This is my first HP fic, and my first ever mpreg, so feedback  
  
would be GREATLY appreciated!  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own any of the characters except of course  
  
(eventually) the baby. Everyone else is owned by JKR  
  
Draco stood in the kitchen, staring up at the open cupboard in front of him. The peanut butter was in the back corner on the top most shelf, and he had no clue as to how he was going to reach it. It had been up there for almost a year, Harry had been the one to buy it, Draco HATED peanut butter. But now, it was the one food on the planet that Draco would kill for, and he was going to get it down, one way or another. Cursing Harry for putting the damn stuff in such an IMPOSSIBLE place to reach, Draco carefully crawled up on to the counter top in an attempt to get it. Stretching out his arm to grab for it, his fingers had just closed around the jar when-  
  
"Draco Malfoy, what ARE you doing?"  
  
Draco started at the sudden voice in his home and lost his balance. He would have toppled backwards if not for a pair of hands that grabbed on to his waist to steady him. After holding on to the cupboard for a moment to make sure he was balance again, and also to let his heart rate return to normal, he turned around to face the owner of the voice.  
  
"Aunt Molly, what are you doing here? You nearly scared me to death!" Draco exclaimed as he slid from his precarious position on the counter, peanut butter in his hand.  
  
"I had something I needed to talk to you about, so I came by. And it was a good thing I did too. What were you THINKING crawling up there like that?" Molly scolded him as she crossed her arms across her chest in a motherly fashion.  
  
"I was getting this," Draco answered as he held up the jar of peanut butter.  
  
"But . . .you hate peanut butter."  
  
"Not anymore I don't. I really wanted some, and it was clear up on the top shelf. Hence, the crawling on the counter thing." He explained as he dug through the kitchen drawer for a spoon. To him it was all so simple, he couldn't figure out why it was such a big deal.  
  
"But, dear, why crawl up on the counter? You could have fallen, you could have hurt yourself or the baby! Why didn't you just use MAGIC to get it down?"  
  
"Well, normally I would have but . . . "  
  
"But what, dear?"  
  
"I can't do magic anymore," Draco nearly whispered as he hung his head down in shame.  
  
"What do you MEAN you can't do magic anymore?"  
  
"Well, it's not that I CAN'T, it's just that I'm . . .afraid to. A few weeks ago, right after the baby shower, I tried to use magic to get a book off the shelf and . . .they all came flying at me. I was scared to death that one of them might hit me in the stomach and hurt the baby."  
  
"Oh, yes, that," Molly nodded her head in sympathy and understanding. "I had almost forgotten about that."  
  
"Forgotten about what?"  
  
"When you're pregnant, the hormone levels affect your magic, and it's different for everyone. Sometimes you have no use of magic at all, sometimes things go haywire and overboard. I had a little bit of both. My first three pregnancies I couldn't do any magic, not even the simplest of spells. It was rather difficult to get on with no magic. Then, with the twins, Ron, and Ginny, everything I did happened in excess. Like one time, when I was pregnant with Ron, I went to put a simple night light spell in the room for Percy, and it was bright as daylight in that room. It seems to me, you've been hit with the later of the effects."  
  
"So, this isn't permanent then? It will all go away after I have the baby?" Draco asked hopefully.  
  
"Well, it won't be all fixed at once, it will slowly taper off. I'd say you should be back to normal about a month or so after you have her."  
  
"Thank God," Draco sighed in relief. "I thought something was wrong with me."  
  
"Not wrong, dear, just a little helter skelter."  
  
"That's good to know. So . . .what was it you wanted to talk to me about?"  
  
"What? Oh . . .yes, that. As you know, I'm a fully trained medi-witch, and I volunteer at the women's center where Madame Kierstein works a couple days a week. The other day she was telling me that she has an overload of patients, she has four other witches who are due to go into labor around the same time as you. She asked if I wouldn't mind taking over your case, seeing as how I know you, to try and lighten her load. Being a male pregnancy, you need a little extra attention and the strain was just getting to her. I told her I wouldn't mind a bit, as long as it's okay with you."  
  
"I don't mind a bit, Aunt Molly. I trust you, and I'm sure you of all people understand the process of child birth."  
  
"That I do. But still, it's going to be tricky. You being a man and all, your body wasn't designed for this sort of thing, so it all tends to be a bit more complicated and I'll need somebody else there to help me. I don't know if you're aware of this or not, but both Hermione and my Ginny are training to be medi-witches. I'd like one of them to help me. Which one would you prefer?"  
  
"Hermione," Draco answered immediately. "N-not that I have anything against Ginny, it's just that . . .."  
  
"No need to explain dear," Molly smiled reassuringly. "I kind of figured you would want Hermione, and that's perfectly alright by me."  
  
"Aunt Molly, since you're going to be taking care of me now . . . I was just wondering . . . I mean . . . how is the baby going to come out?" Draco asked nervously. His medi-witch had always told him they would discuss the birth process at his next appointment, but then she never did.  
  
"Well dear, like most babies she is going to come out the same way she went in."  
  
"Y-you mean . . . she's going to come out . . .my . . .oh my gosh that's GROSS! That was never mentioned anywhere!" Draco's face contorted in disgust and fear. He could still remember the first time Harry had made love to him, how painful it had been. The thought of his daughter coming out of the same opening scared him to death.  
  
"Sorry dear, I know it's not the most pleasant of thoughts, but I promise I will have quite a few pain relief potions on hand for you. I'm going to try and make this as easy on you as possible, I'm not going to enjoy seeing one of my boys in that much pain." Molly tried to reassure him as she gave him a tight hug.  
  
"Aunt Molly, why are you so good to me? My father was always so awful to your family, and I treated your kids so bad. I don't deserve your kindness."  
  
"Of course you do, you're still human and I can hardly blame the actions of your father on you. Besides . . .my Harry loved you, and that's good enough for me. Granted, I didn't always feel that way. When Harry first told me about his relationship with you, I was quite skeptical. I just wasn't sure if you could be trusted. Then, one day Harry was at the house, and he sat me down at the kitchen table. He was like 'Auntie Molly, I know Draco hasn't always been the best of people, but he's changed, a lot. There's something in there, deep down inside, that you just have to search for, but it's there. He's a good man, and he has a good heart. I love him Auntie Molly, I'd be willing to die for him if I had to. And even if he hasn't said it yet, I know that he loves me too.' There was something in his eyes, Draco, and I knew he was telling me the truth. From that day on, I vowed to give you a chance and try to find what it was about you that Harry loved so much, and I did. I couldn't help falling in love with you myself, and now you're one of my boys, just the way Harry was."  
  
Draco felt his eyes welling up with tears both at the words of the older woman, but also at what she told him Harry had said about him.  
  
"He . . .never told me about that."  
  
"No, I don't suspect he did. He was good at keeping some things to himself. Did he ever tell you about the day he came to tell me the two of you wanted to have a baby?" She asked him. Draco shook his head no, so Molly continued with the story. "Harry had called me a few days before hand, and asked me out to lunch. That should have been my first clue that something was up, Harry always invited me out when he had something big to tell me. He didn't say anything for awhile, he waited until our food was there, and he just springs it on me. 'Auntie Molly,' he says. 'Draco and I are going to have a baby.' Let me tell you, I thought I was going to choke on my sandwich. That is NOT a nice way to make an announcement like that. I immediately thought that one of you was already pregnant, I began asking him a million questions. The hows, the whys, all of it. Then, I began lecturing him, telling him that the two of you were entirely too young to be having children, and did you even THINK about it before rushing in to something like this? Finally, he managed to break in and tell me that it hadn't happened yet, that you were just starting to try for a baby, and that yes you had both thought it out and were well prepared. I was rather impressed with how organized the two of you seemed. I was still a little apprehensive, but I gave him my full blessing, which is what I think he was after. I know how much he wanted to be the one to get pregnant, and after his miscarriage I was fully hoping that it would happen for him again. Now I understand why it didn't, and I couldn't be happier that you're the one who's pregnant. If things had been different . . . well, we won't get into that. Just know that Harry wanted a baby more than anything, and he would be so happy to know that he was having a little baby girl. He used to talk about being a father, and how he hoped that when it happened, the baby would look just like you, and have your intelligence and his personality. He loved you very much, Draco."  
  
"I know he did, and I loved him, more than life itself. I just wish he were here with me, to experience this with me." Draco whispered, barely able to speak around the lump he got in his throat as he thought about Harry. About how Harry should be there, to see Draco pregnant, and to hold his daughter once she was born. In that moment, Draco missed Harry more than he had since Harry's death. "Aunt Molly, will you tell me more stories about him? Anything that you remember, big or small, anything at all . . .just so long as they are about him."  
  
"Of course, dear. I'd love to." Molly smiled softly as she answered him. She placed an arm around his shoulders and lead him into the living room. There they sat for the rest of the afternoon, Draco laying across the couch with his head in Molly's lap as she told him story after story of times Harry had spent at her house. Somehow, hearing all of these things made Draco feel a tiny bit better, as if Harry was still with him, even if it was only in memories 


	6. Six

Disclaimer: Don't own any of the characters except of course (eventually) the baby. Everyone else is owned by JKR  
  
Draco slowly walked down an empty path, pulling his cloak tight to his body in an attempt to block out the frigid November air. Above him tree branches provided a canopy, and all around him were hard callous stones in all shapes and sizes: polished, carved, and serving only one purpose. Inside his body his daughter was being completely still for the first time in months, almost as if she could sense what was going on in the outside world. Finally, his journey down the path ended, he had found what he was looking for. Tucked far in the back, next to a small wooded area, was a plain stone with the words engraved on it: Harry J. Potter-Malfoy 1980-2003 Beloved Husband, Godson, Friend. Sadly missed by all. He saved the world . . .a lot. Draco sunk to his knees beside it, running his hand over the smooth, cold surface of the stone. As another cold breeze swept through the cemetery, Draco took a deep breath before beginning to speak.  
  
"Hello, my love. I'm sorry it took me so long to come see you, it was just too hard. For awhile there, I couldn't even bring myself to get out of bed, let alone come here. I just wanted to die, I wanted to be with you so bad. I still do, but I can't think that way anymore, I have a reason to live now. I'm going to have a baby, Harry, a little girl. We're going to be fathers, can you believe?  
  
Everyone is being so supportive of me, Harry. I never imagined that people would ever care about me the way they do, except you of course. Now I've got this whole network of people who love and support me, it's amazing. You should have seen all the gifts I got at the baby shower . . . A BABY SHOWER! FOR ME! Hermione arranged it all, and everyone was there. Even your godfather was there, and I hadn't seen him since . . . since I lost you.  
  
Don't be mad at him though, he was really sorry he wasn't there for me right after, but it was just as hard on him to lose you as it was on me. I'm sure you can understand that, right? He promised he'd be there for me and the baby, and I believe him.  
  
I just wanted to let you know all of this, Harry. Of course, you probably knew it all already. I believe in my heart that you're out there, looking after me. Soon your work will be doubled, and you're going to have to be a guardian angel to this little girl. She is your daughter after all.  
  
I can't wait to see her. I hope she looks exactly like you, so that every time I look at her, I see you, my love. She's going to be here soon, I'm only a month away from my due date, I'm supposed to be having her on December twenty-third, she's almost a Christmas baby. I'm so scared. It's going to hurt, I know it is, and I'm not sure I'm going to be able to handle it. It's all going to be worth it though, everything I've gone through in this pregnancy will be worth it, just to have out beautiful daughter here. I just wish you could be here to see her.  
  
She'll know about you, though, I promise. I plan on telling her all about her other daddy. So will Molly, and Sirius, and Ron and Hermione, I'm sure Uncle Severus will even throw in a few stories about you. So don't you worry about that, you may not be here, but your daughter will know you just the same.  
  
I'll be back soon Harry, I promise. I'm not going to stay away so long this time. Just as soon as the baby is born, I'll bring her for you to see. Even though I know you will have seen her already, just to bring her here will make it more real for me. So until next time my love, you will be in my dreams."  
  
Draco pressed his lips to his fingers, then laid them gently against the headstone in a farewell gesture. As he stood to leave the baby kicked against him hard, making her presence known for the first time in over an hour. The walk back to the entrance gate was slower than when he had arrived, as he was reluctant to leave his Harry again.  
  
Just as he reached the edge of the cemetery and he prepared to apparate back home, and sharp ripping through his midsection caused him to double over in pain. 


	7. Seven

DISCLAIMER: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.  
  
By the time Draco walked through his front door, he was in a panic, and couldn't even remember how he'd even gotten home. Since the initial pain, he had gotten two more, and they were scaring the hell out of him. He was still nearly a month away from his due date, so it was too early for him to be having the baby. All he could think of was the time Harry had had a miscarriage. When it happened, Harry had been in pain, and he was afraid that the same thing was now happening to him. He quickly hurried into the living room and threw a handful of powder into the fire, calling out Molly Weasley's name. Moment's later, she finally responded to him.  
  
"Yes dear, what it is?"  
  
"Aunt Molly, help me." Draco pleaded in desperation, fear filling up his voice.  
  
"Draco? What's wrong?" Molly asked, instantly on alert at the tone of his voice.  
  
"I-I'm in pain, Aunt Molly, really bad. It's like, I keep cramping up. I don't know what's happening. Please Aunt Molly, help me . . . I don't want to lose my baby."  
  
"You're not going to lose the baby, dear. Go up to bed and lay down, I have to get a hold of Hermione and then we'll be there. It sounds like you've gone into labor."  
  
"Labor? N-no! It's too early, I can't have her yet . . . I can't! She'll be too little, she . . . "  
  
"Will be just fine," Molly interrupted him. "But you need to calm down and stop panicking. I want you to go upstairs and get off your feet. Be ready for an exam, that means nothing on bottom. We'll be there soon, sweetie. Try to calm down and relax."  
  
Draco nodded dumbly and carefully climbed the stairs to his bedroom. After stripping off his pants and boxers, he slid into bed and ran his hand over the small swell of his stomach. Another pain ripped through him and he squeezed his eyes shut tight, biting on his lower lip until it finally subsided. With each minute that ticked by, Draco became more and more worried, scared to death that something was going to happen to his daughter. His first medi-witch had told him that the baby would need to be full term in order for it to be healthy. Now here he was, in labor a month pre-mature.  
  
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Molly Weasley and Hermione appeared at his side. Hermione immediately grabbed his hand and gave it a small squeeze while smiling at him reassuringly. Molly began to busy herself around the room, unpacking a small medical bag she had brought with her, and conjuring up several larger items she would need. Finally she came over to him, a small bottle in her hand.  
  
"Draco, I'm going to give you something to try and help with the pain, and then I'm going to examine you, okay?"  
  
Draco nodded his approval, and watched in interest as she rubbed a sort of cream on his stomach. It dissolved quickly into his skin, and within seconds the intense cramping had lessened into a dull ache. Draco immediately relaxed against the pillow as Molly pushed the blanket he had covering him up, so that only his waist and chest were covered by it. She examined him as quickly as possible, not wanting to make him uncomfortable and the covered him back up again.  
  
"Is everything okay, Aunt Molly? Is my baby going to be okay?"  
  
"She'll be fine, Draco. You're only about 7 centimeters dilated, and your water hasn't broke yet, but you definitely ARE in labor."  
  
"But . . . I can't have her yet, it's too soon. Isn't there something you can do to stop it?" Draco pleaded in desperation.  
  
"No, I'm afraid not, but don't worry. Babies are born a little early all the time, and they're fine. Now we're just caught in a waiting game, waiting for things to happen. We've got a long wait ahead of us, sweetie. That stuff I gave you to help with the contractions should last awhile. I'm going to give you something to help you sleep and I'll be in about once an hour to check on you."  
  
Draco just nodded his head mutely and drank the medicine she was offering him. With in minutes, he could feel himself becoming drowsy and eventually drifted off into a light sleep. Every so often he would be woke up by Molly in order for her to examine him, and see how far his labor was progressing. Each time she told him he was moving along nicely, but they would still have awhile to wait. It was sometime after the third such visit when it happened. Draco had begun to drift back to sleep when the pain medication apparently wore off because he was jerked awake by a searing pain ripping through his abdominal area. He let out a blood curdling scream, which brought both Molly and Hermione running into the room.  
  
"Draco, what is it, what happened?"  
  
"The pain, it's back worse than before, and I think my water broke. Damn it Aunt Molly, I don't want to do this anymore, it's too much trouble."  
  
"I'm afraid it's too late to think of that, dear. Hermione, would you mind checking him for me, I have a few spells I need to set up."  
  
Hermione nodded her agreement and disappear to the end of the bed. Draco could feel her poking and prodding him, and shut his eyes tight in embarrassment. A minute or so later, she was standing next to Molly again, giving her report.  
  
"His water DID break, and he's at ten centimeters, he's ready to go whenever you want him to start pushing."  
  
Molly nodded an acknowledgement that she'd heard her daughter-in-law and waved her wand in the air. Seconds afterwards, the sound of the baby's heartbeat could be heard through the room. She moved to the end of the bed, taking over where Hermione had been sitting.  
  
"Draco, when you feel the pain again, I want you to push, okay?"  
  
"Yes, Aunt Molly." Draco laid back and waited for another contraction to hit him, and when it did he pushed with all of his might. When he did, it sounded to him as if there was a change in the rhythmic sound of his daughter's heartbeat. However, neither of the medi-witches said anything about it, so he thought that maybe he was imagining things. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Molly told him to stop pushing. "Is she out yet?"  
  
"N-no . . . no dear, she won't be out quite yet. It's going to take quite a few more pushes for her to be born," Molly explained, with a slight quiver in her voice. "Hermione, come here please. Quickly."  
  
Hermione rushed to the end of the bed where Molly and herself had a quick, whispered conversation. After receiving hurried instructions from Molly, she waved her wand in the air over Draco's body, and a fuzzy two- dimensional image of the baby began to hover in the room. After studying it a moment, her eyes got wide and she looked down at Molly, nodding silently.  
  
"What? What is it?" Draco asked in a panic, he had seen the look of fear in both of their eyes.  
  
"Now, Draco, try not to be upset," Molly began.  
  
"No, something is wrong with my baby, I can see it in your eyes. What is it?"  
  
"The baby's umbilical cord is wrapped around her."  
  
"What? What's that mean?"  
  
"Right now it means that every time you have a contraction and push, it's causing stress for her."  
  
"What can you do for her?"  
  
"Normally we would cut you open and remove the baby from you surgically."  
  
"O-okay, do it then. Do whatever is best for my daughter."  
  
"I can't, honey, you're bleeding. I don't know from where, or what's causing it. If I try to deliver the baby surgically, I could end up killing you," Molly attempted to explain to him. In all of her years as a practicing medi-witch, nothing like this had ever happened to her before.  
  
"I don't care about me, I only care about the baby. Save her, that's all I want." Draco pleaded. At that point in time he didn't care if he died, as long as his child lived. If he lost her, he wouldn't be able to go on with his life.  
  
"No, I'm not about to do something that could be fatal to you! We're going to continue with the birth the way we had planned, we're just going to have to be a little more careful. When you push, do it as easily as you can, while still having enough force behind it to push the baby out of you. The quicker we get her out, the better, but I don't want to risk being too forceful and hurting her."  
  
Draco nodded as a tear slid unnoticed down his cheek. Everything had to be alright, it HAD to, he couldn't stand losing another important part of his life. Another contraction came and he pushed, being as gently as he could, and trying to ignore the telltale beating of his baby's heart, telling him that he was causing her distress.  
  
"Good, that's very good sweetie. Stop pushing now, easy . . .easy . . .very good," Molly encouraged him as the contraction ended. "Do it just like that every time, Draco. I don't think her heart rate dropped quite so badly that time."  
  
And so it continued for ten . . .fifteen . . .twenty minutes. . .half an hour. Every time a contraction would come, Draco would push as carefully as he could, taking relief in the fact that though it faltered, his daughter's heart was indeed still beating. Every time, Molly would tell him that the heart rate hadn't dropped significantly. And every time, he could tell by the looks on the faces of both her and Hermione, that she was lying. Each time he finished pushing, Draco would collapse back against the bed, feeling more and more drained of his energy every time. Finally, after forty-five mintues, Molly looked up at him, worry etched all over her face.  
  
"Draco, she's almost here, I can see her. We need to get her out of you NOW, you're losing too much blood. With the next contraction I want you to push . . . HARD, so we can get her out. Hermione, I want you to be ready as soon as she's delivered. I have to try and find out what is causing Draco's bleeding, so as soon as she's out, I'm giving her to you, you know what to do. Draco, are you ready?"  
  
Draco nodded feebly, he was so exhausted and so weak that he could barely move his body. He had no idea how he was going to deliver the baby now. Seconds later another contraction ripped through him and mustered up every ounce of strength he had left and pushed hard, forcing the tiny baby from his body. He saw Molly hand a tiny, bloody body to Hermione before she turned her attention back to him. Draco fell back against the bed, completely drained of all energy, and feeling as if all the live had fled his body. The last thing he heard as he closed his eyes and entered a world of darkness was Hermione's frantic and panic filled voice.  
  
"Molly, she's not breathing. I can't get her to breathe, what do I do?" 


	8. Eight

DISCLAIMER: This story is based on characters and situations created 

and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited 

to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and 

Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or 

trademark infringement is intended.

****

AN: WOW, it's been awhile since I've updated this story, and I truly apologize! I got hit with a bad case of writers block, but my muse for this story finally came back. If you've stuck around and are reading this still, then I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I'm only planning on having one more chapter after this one, and it will be sometime in the future. Right now I have a couple of scenarios in mind that I might use. One of which is when she is younger (around 5 maybe) and Lucius decides he wants to see his grandchild. The other would be when she is 11 and getting ready to go to Hogwarts. Please let me know which scenario you prefer, or if there is something else you would rather see. I PROMISE there will not be such a log wait between chapters this time!

Draco's eye opened slowly and he groaned at the bright rays of sunlight that met him. For a moment he was confused, wondering how he had managed to sleep long enough that the sun was that bright. Normally his daughter's kicking would wake him up early in the morning, often before the sun had even had a chance to rise. His hands ran down his body to stroke where his baby lay in him but were only met with a flat, baby less, stomach. Blind panic gripped at him when his mind suddenly raced back to . . .when had it been? A day ago? Two days ago? Merely hours before now? He had no idea how long it had been since his daughter's birth. All he knew was that he had gone into labor a month early and the last thing he remembered was hearing a fear-filled voice declaring that his daughter was not breathing.

Terrified grey eyes scanned their surroundings quickly. There should have been a bassinet next to his bed, he had told Molly Weasley well in advance that he wanted the baby to be in his room from the moment of birth. However, upon finishing an inventory of the room, Draco determined that no such bassinet was anywhere nearby. Where, then, was his baby?

Pain shot through his body as he struggled to sit up, but he ignored it. The only thing on his mind was getting out of this bed and finding his daughter. She was the one thing that he had left to live for and he had to make sure that she was alright.

Mrs. Weasley and Hermione must have place some kind of charms around him to alert them when he was awake. Before he had even managed to set both feet on the floor both women were rushing into the room and fluttering around him, trying to get him to lay back down. He tried to fight them off, but it was no use. Each of them had taken hold of one of his arms and were very effectively pinning him to the bed.

"Draco Potter-Malfoy, stop flailing about this instant!" Molly's usually soft tone was replaced with the biting tone she typically reserved for her children. "Are you trying to kill yourself? You nearly died from blood loss! I patched you up best I could, but you need to be still! Thrashing about like this will only aggravate your injuries!"

"Aunt Molly, let me up, NOW!" The young man snapped at her. He didn't give a damn about himself, all he wanted was his baby.

"Draco, please, you need to calm down," Hermione spoke to him in a soothing voice as she ran one of her tiny hands along his forehead. "You're not doing anybody any good getting worked up like this."

"Hermione, please . . .make her let me go! My baby, I have to find my baby." Draco pleaded with his late husband's best friend. "I need to find her. My baby . . ."

"Is fine, Draco," Hermione tried to reassure him. Unfortunately by this point in time, Draco had worked himself up into hysterics, and he didn't hear a word she was saying.

"She wasn't breathing. I heard you say it! She wasn't breathing when she was born. Where is she? Where's my baby? Oh God, Hermione, I can't lose her. My daughter . . .Harry's daughter . .. . ! He would kill me if I let something happen to her!"

"Draco, calm down, she's okay. I got her to start breathing. She's okay, she's alive." Mrs. Weasley repeated herself over and over in a comforting voice until the young man finally calmed himself and turned tear filled eyes at her.

"She's okay? My baby's okay?" He whispered, almost as if he were afraid that if he spoke the words out loud then it wouldn't be true. 

"She's perfectly fine, sweetie. A bit on the tiny side, and a tad sick, but she's alive."

Draco relaxed at her words and allowed himself to slump back against the pillows. His baby girl, his miracle, was still alive. He hadn't lost yet another important part of his life, he wasn't sure if he would have been able to make it if he had.

"H-how big was she?" Draco asked fearfully. He had known that she would be smaller than a normal baby to begin with, and now she was premature. Surely that couldn't be good for her.

"She was two pounds ten ounces, and twelve and a half inches long." Hermione answered his question, a small smile on her face.

"So tiny . . ." The wizard reflected as he thought about how small she must be. "You said she was sick. Where is she? Why isn't she here with me?"

"She's in the guest room, baby. Because she was early her lungs didn't have time to fully develop, so she needed some special attention."

"W-will she be . . .okay?" Draco worried. Despite what the two women told him, it didn't sound as if the baby were perfectly alright to him. It sounded as if she was a very unhealthy little girl.

"She will be in a few weeks. Right now she's in a specially heated crib with a spell around her to give her pure oxygen. She's been in it ever since you had her, about eighteen hours, and I'd like her to stay there for about another week. Hermione or myself will be here that entire time, just to make sure things go okay." Mrs. Weasley explained to him. "After that we'll just keep an eye on her and take it on a day by day basis."

"Can I see her, please?"

"Of course, just let me check you over first, okay?"

Draco nodded and lay back against the bed, waiting impatiently for Molly to finish her exam. It seemed like she was intentionally taking her sweet time. She poked and prodded him, waved her wand over him while muttering spells that were unfamiliar to him, checked his pulse, blood pressure, and temperature. Finally she finally declared him healthy enough to be allowed to go see his baby for the first time.

Both Mrs. Weasley and Hermione helped him to sit up in the bed and then easily swing his legs over the edge of the mattress. Once he was on his feet, he got a bit dizzy for a moment and Mrs. Weasley almost changed her mind about letting him leave the room, but one death glare from him had her shutting up quickly. Once his balance was regained the two women helped him shuffle to the door and across the hall to the guest room. The short trek was a painful one, as his body felt as if it had bee ripped in half when his daughter came out, but nothing was going to prevent him from seeing the baby.

When they at last entered the spare bedroom, Draco's breath caught in his throat at the first sight of his daughter. She was wrinkled, and blotchy, and impossibly small. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen, an angel in his eyes, and she was all his. Hermione helped ease him into a recliner that they had in the room as Mrs. Weasley moved the baby crib closer to him so he could get a better look.

Draco's hand snaked forward and then snapped back quickly as it got near to the tiny baby. She looked so fragile that he knew he would break her with the slightest touch. In fact, he wasn't completely convinced that the mere act of breathing in her general direction wouldn't cause the tiny body to shatter.

Hermione laughed softly and rested a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Go ahead and touch her, Draco. You can hold her if you like."

"H-Hold her? But won't that hurt her? She needs to be in there!" As much as he would love to hold his little girl, Draco didn't want to do anything that would cause her even the slightest bit of harm.

"It's okay, the spell will move with her and keep her surrounded by the heat and the oxygen," Molly explained as she lifted the tiny baby into her arms. Draco watched in amazement as his baby was laid in his arms for the first time.

Emotions that he never knew he possessed flooded through Draco as he gazed down at the sleeping child he was holding. This little miracle had been created by the love that Harry and he had shared, a love that would now never die, and never be broken. She was all of their hopes and dreams personified, something that they had both wanted. The tiny angel baby was the perfect blend of both of them.

"Do you know what you're going to name her?" Molly asked softly, not wanting to ruin the tranquil moment between father and daughter.

"Reagan Airlia Potter." Draco responded immediately. He had been contemplating it for months before finally deciding upon the name he chose.

"You mean Potter-Malfoy?"

"No, just Potter."

"But . . .are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. It's the way we wanted it." Draco explained with out ever taking his eyes off of Reagan. "Both Harry and I agreed that we didn't want our children growing up with the stigmata that comes with the Malfoy name."

"Very well," Molly conceded as she waved her wand to complete the certificate of birth that would go on file at the Ministry of Magic. "Welcome to the world, Reagan Airlia Potter."


End file.
